360joules' Off Road Build

I’m finally tackling some wiring projects.

After three days at it, my Switch Pros 9100 is installed. I’ll upload some better pics soon.



I wired the light blue ignition wire to the injectors fuse, white to the low beam headlamps, and pink to reverse #2. I haven’t tested the reverse trigger yet.



I’m using a Mesojdm cubby mount.



I ran my fridge wiring to the Blue Sea fuse box* and have my first item installed to the Switch Pro - my ARB dual compressor.

I’m using a CBI mount in the spare battery location. It’s the perfect spot but unfortunately the mount is unnecessarily pushed toward the firewall. This required that I buy a braided hose and relocation kit for the hose fitting.



The bracket also pushes the compressor up against the main wiring harness coming through the firewall, which concerns me for both heat damage and vibration during compressor use. I think I have a plan to remedy this, but haven’t tackled this problem yet.



In any case, I’m happy with how the build is moving along. I have a few more wiring projects queued up. Updates soon.


*added: After my initial wiring, I had to connect my ARB fridge back direct to the battery. With it connected to the fuse block (in parallel to the switch pro) it wasn't getting enough juice to run and ended up draining my battery. On the good side of things, I've now tested my lithium battery jump starter and I'm pleased to say that it worked great in its charge from nearly 9 months ago!

 

I’ve been contemplating this day for quite a while.

I went back to Trendsetters to put on 285’s and get my cab mounts chopped.



I asked them to make a pretty big chop because I may add bigger tires down the road. They also cut the pinch weld to make more room.



They cut and fit their own fill plates.



With a little added texture, the chop blends right in. The fender liner was then screwed flat.



They also added a plate support for my firestone airbags.



I was super nervous that the 285’s would rub using my stock wheels. In fact, I was so nervous that I brought a full set of TRD Pro wheels with me “just in case” because those have about a half inch extra clearance. The shop said they added 285’s for someone else on stock wheels and they rubbed so badly that they didn’t even think the Pro wheels would help enough.

I must have the right combination of lift components, though, because I had plenty of room. I'm very happy about this because I much prefer the stock look (RTT notwithstanding).



Today was a good day!

 

Here's a comparison, subtle, but makes a world of difference.

Sitting on 265/75r16's then with 285/75r16's




The 285’s seem to be a much better fit with my lift.

 

I’ll post more pics soon, but I took this pic in the Burgerville parking lot shortly after installing my new sliders.

Also, I took off the bug deflector for a bit. I'm sure it will make its return later in the season and during our upcoming road trips, but for now I'm really liking the clean look.

 

I received and installed my new skids - aluminum fuel tank, and steel front and mid skids.

When I ordered these, I went with aluminum on the fuel tank because it was offset from midline and didn’t want to contribute to more taco lean. That said, I may switch to steel as the fuel tank does sit a bit lower than I thought it did and I’m not convinced that it will be as protected by the sliders as I thought. Any way, for now it is much better protected than it was by that plastic basin.





Here’s a glamour shot in the driveway of a house we put an offer on. Lookin good!

 

So, ultimately I decided that I overdid some things a bit and had deviated from what I really wanted to do with this truck. Primarily, the 285's were a bit excessive and I decided to return to 265/75's. I didn't like how sluggish the larger tires made the truck and they really hurt my gas mileage, particularly for city driving which is what I mostly do. When I did this, I also returned to a slightly lower stance than I had in my suspension before.

I wanted to keep the benefit of having Dakars, but in their standard configuration they lift the back end higher than I want. I removed the large overload leaf to bring it back down about 3/4". I've heard some people advise against this, citing the benefit of having a large overload for hard use, but the stock leafs don't have a large OL and those things are crazy flimsy. These Dakars should be fine. The medium leaf pack without the large overload should end up with around a 1.25-1.5" lift from stock. I can still make plenty of adjustments with my air bags should I need to.



I also downscaled in other areas, selling things that I felt had only sucked up money without really adding value in my case. I sold the TRD intake and exhaust, returning to stock for these items. It is nice to have the engine be on the quieter side. I also got rid of the switch pro. I kept the compressor, but plan to wire in a standard switch for it, probably keeping it in the engine compartment as I don't know that I really need it in the cab with me since I'll have to open the hood regardless.

I’m also enjoying a bit more versatility with the truck. Since I moved out of the apartment and into a house, I now have room to store the tent off the truck. I picked up a 2-ton engine hoist to do the heavy lifting. While the truck was lifted, it barely reached, but now it works easily.



Here’s how the truck currently sits:



That's more like it.

 

It's really cool to see how you actually "downgraded" after realizing a purchase didn't suit your needs. That's rare.

 

Thanks man. Yeah, it had gotten to the point that I didn’t like the truck any more. I didn’t seek out to do a lift, but just wanted to give the suspension a bit more strength for my tent or camper and range of motion for off road driving. I have a very poor opinion of the stock suspension, particularly in the rear. Bolstering the rear suspension set a lot of other mods in motion and I guess I just got caught up in it.

Hopefully this current iteration continues to make me happy for a while.

 

I agree with Suspender. It's nice to see someone who appreciate the functionality over the looks in a truck. It's kind of a humble thing to do. After all, most of the lifted trucks I see never leave pavement or touch a trailer.

I like your build thread, very nice and tasteful. I haul around a camper that has, for a long time, made me want to upgrade my leafs and add just an inch or so to the height. Im thinking even the Bilstein 5100s will be a significant upgrade from the stock OR suspension.

 

Thank you. It's tough to just upgrade the functionality without finding yourself with a 3-inch lift as a result. Deciding on the front end was tough too as I'd get a lot of mixed information. I ended up going with coilovers that I could adjust on the vehicle so that I could guarantee I wouldn't accidentally buy the wrong springs, etc. There's so much info out there to sift through and the information on ride height that people claim varies quite a bit between gen 2 and gen 3 trucks. It's easy to get sidetracked.

Where I finally landed, I think my UCA's are way overkill and those may get downgraded soon too.

Good luck on your build!

 

A little more "unbuilding" has happened. Ok, maybe a lot.

I've been back and forth on whether to just sell the truck and go for a full size, but in the meantime, I'm redirecting my focus with this truck. I ditched the sliders, skid plates, compressor and suspension.

I decided to keep the airbags installed so that I don't lose the ability to haul, but I took out the day star cradles. Cradles are nice with an upgraded leaf pack, but with stock leafs there just isn't enough room for them. I recall having an especially rough ride when I did this before and I remember it wouldn't take much of a bump to bottom out the back end. Without the cradles, the air bag can hold more air and has more room to give. I already notice a better ride in comparison.

Two areas that I've decided to build up are battery power (I have a dual battery setup on the way) and if I ultimately decide to keep this truck, I'm gearing to 4.88. Time will tell.

 

Dual battery system installed:

 

Does the CBI bracket come with predrilled holes for the manifold or did you drill those yourself?